Issue Position: Universal Health Care

Issue Position

Issue Position: Universal Health Care

We can no longer try to resolve our health care crisis on a piece meal basis; nor can it be fixed state-by-state. We need a national solution that covers everybody.

Approximately 47 million Americans lack health insurance because they cannot afford it. The cost of coverage is so high that many Americans are cutting back on savings, and also food and heating costs so that they can afford medical care. Too often, all it takes is one medical emergency to plunge an entire family into a financial crisis.

This makes us less healthy as a nation, and hurts the economy. Currently, the United States spends 16 % of its Gross Domestic Product on health care; this number is expected to increase to 20% in the next decade. Other industrialized nations with a universal health care system spend around 9% to 10%.

The for-profit model of health coverage is broken, which is why a national solution is necessary. I would support a single-payer solution that would cut out the bureaucracy and put control back into the hands of doctors and patients.

The following two elements are essential to whatever plan is adopted:

1) Everybody is covered.
2) It is administered by a non-profit entity.

We are in a position where we can choose the best features of other countries that have national health care systems, and create a truly American health care system that covers everybody. This system would be more efficient, it would allow business to focus on growth rather than worry about insurance for their staffs, and - most important - it will keep Americans healthier.

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